Molesworth bushfire flares up

The bushfire at Molesworth in the Derwent Valley north-west of Hobart is currently uncontrolled, with weather conditions causing the blaze to flare-up around lunch time.

The Tasmania Fire Service says the threatened homes are along Glen Dhu, Collins Cap, Tanglewood, Valley, Stocks and Suhrs Roads.

Residents in Glen Dhu Road are being urged to relocate NOW to a safer area, but only if the path is clear.

Nearby Safer Places are at:

Malbina Cemetery 100 Molesworth Road

Collinsvale War Memorial Hall at 14 Hall Road

A longer term Nearby Safer Place at 'Carinya', behind the New Norfolk High School, 103 Blair Street. (Pets and livestock allowed here)

Molesworth Road is open to the public, however road blocks are in place at the junctions of Glen Dhu Road and Collins Cap Road restricting access to Glen Dhu Road, Collins Cap Road, Tubbs Road and Wyre Forest Road to residents only.

Embers, smoke and ash falling on Molesworth, Glenlusk and Collinsvale and spot fires predicted from several directions up to two kilometres ahead of the fire front.

The fire is expected to affect the areas of Collins Cap Road from Tanglewood Road through to Valley Road including Stocks Road, Suhrs Road, and any small private roads within one to three hours.

Smoke from the fire has blown across the Hobart CBD, Mount Nelson, Lenah Valley and Berridale.

A Total Fire Ban is in place for the southern and northern regions.

Tasmania Fire Service senior station officer Phil Douglas has told Your Afternoon's Penny Terry that crews and water bombing aircraft have been working hard to control the blaze.

"They've been able to reduce the fire spread, so the fire spread's been significantly reduced from what we had anticipated by this stage," he says.

Mr Douglas says the fire front is moving in two main directions, to the south east and west towards Iron Stone Gully.

But he says it isn't moving as quickly as predicted.

"The wind is coming from a north-wetserly direction, so the fire that's moving up the slope towards Iron Stone Gully area is having to push against the wind," he says.

He says crews have been working hard along Collins Gap Road and been able to slow the fire's spread on that front.

The unpredictable winds and rough terrain are causing problems but conditions are expected to ease later.

"The next couple of hours the condition's supposed to stay pretty as they are at the moment, and then a slight drop of temperature and the winds will moderate in the evening," he says.